finding calm in the chaos of FASD

Day 43 of 99 Days to FASDay: Cost of FASD in Canada

Welcome to Day 43 of 99 Days to 9.9 FASDay – September 9. Today’s information relates directly to Canadian statistics, but it should give people from other countries a basis to examine relative costs for FASD. I was not able to find an international study on costs. If you know of one to a particular country, feel free to leave a comment with a link.

It is important to highlight that the study noted above used the most conservative assumptions, which means that the costs presented are considered the minimal costs associated with FASD in Canadian society.

Other direct costs (children and youth in care, supportive housing, long-term care, special education, and prevention and research); and

Indirect costs (productivity losses due to disability and premature mortality of individuals with FASD).

Additional costs, noted by the authors, not included, but should be considered in future assessments: the cost of productivity losses of parents/caregivers of people with FASD, and the non-monetary or intangible costs such as pain, suffering, stress and guilt [of mothers].

Finally, the authors state:

These cost figures, as powerful arguments, should not be misused for the further stigmatization of mothers with alcohol dependence. Rather, they should be used as strong scientific evidence demonstrating the burden and cost associated with FASD by policy-makers formulating policies on programs and funding support for the numerous activities required to improve the lives of people with FASD and their families, and to prevent further alcohol-exposed pregnancies.

As this 200 page report was copyrighted, I was only able to use brief quotes. You can view the entire report: The Burden and Economic Impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Canada here.

2018 Update:

According to NOFAS for the USA: There have been very few studies that have estimated the economic cost of FAS and none that have estimated the cost of FASD.

According to a literature study of all of the current available information on the cost of FAS, there have so far been no studies that holistically consider all of the possible costs of FAS. The ten U.S. studies conducted so far do not take important variables into account like the cost of law enforcement, child welfare, research and prevention efforts, mental health services, help with mild physical and learning disabilities, or the lost productivity of both parents/guardians and individuals with FASD.

The most recent study conducted in 1992 and updated to adjust for changes in healthcare costs in 2000 by the Lewin Group for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates the cost of FAS to be approximately $3.9 billion. However, that number is almost certainly way too low and more data is needed to understand the true cost of FASD, which is likely at least ten times greater than the cost of FAS.

Source: “What Do We Know about the Economic Impact of Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Literature Review” Alcohol and Alcoholism (2011)